During
the European Union press conference Thursday with the head of the group,
the Prime Minister of Sweden and President Bush a reporter asked about how
none of the European nations criticizing Bush for dumping Kyoto had
ratified the treaty themselves. But unless you watched the press
conference live on CNN, FNC or MSNBC, you’d only know about that little
fun fact as raised by the unidentified reporter if you watched FNC later
in the day.

CNN’s Inside Politics and Wolf Blitzer Reports, ABC’s World News
Tonight and the CBS Evening News all kept the burden on Bush without
mentioning how no European country had yet ratified the treaty. Probably
prompted by the question, NBC’s David Gregory finally gave a clause to
the reality: "Negotiated in 1997, the treaty, which has not yet been
ratified anywhere in Europe, requires countries like the United States
that are large polluters to reduce their emissions of so-called greenhouse
gases." Gregory proceeded to relay as fact the liberal spin:
"Such emissions come from cars and coal-fired power plants, and in
time, scientists believe, could drastically warm the climate, causing
everything from more severe weather globally to drought and food shortages
in the American heartland."

Without noting their non-ratification of
Kyoto, on CNN’s Inside Politics Christine Amanpour stressed how
"most Europeans insist the science is in and any delay amounts to
fiddling while the planet burns." CBS’s John Roberts lamented how
Bush’s "defiant stance on the global warming treaty [is] the wedge
issue of a building rift between the U.S. and Europe," which caused
European leaders to deliver "a sharp rebuke, proclaiming that they
would move forward without America."

FNC viewers got an insight into European
hypocrisy. In a piece on Special Report with Brit Hume, FNC’s Jim Angle
observed: "One reporter asked the Europeans why not a single one of
them has ratified the four-year-old treaty and asked Mr. Bush what he
makes of that."
Bush: "I believe people are genuine about
the issue. I don’t think there’s any politics necessarily."
Angle: "Not necessarily, but Mr. Bush
listened with interest as a European leader struggled to answer."
European Union Commission Chairman Romano Prodi:
"There is no, no one single country who has declared not to ratify
it."

Later, during the roundtable segment, Morton
Kondracke of Roll Call predicted: "This is a case where the way the
press reports it really is important. If the story ever really gets out
somewhere other than Fox, that these hypocrites in Europe that are beating
him all the time up over Kyoto, not one of them has ratified the treaty,
it seems to me that the public would support him. But I don’t think the
word’s getting through."

No it’s not, at least not on the television
networks other than FNC. A rundown of ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC from Thursday
night, June 14:

-- ABC’s World News Tonight held itself to
this short item read by anchor Charles Gibson which highlighted the anti-U.S.
take on global warming: "President Bush was in Sweden today to meet
with European Union leaders. The principal issue was climate change. Mr.
Bush repeated his criticism of a global warming treaty. Sweden’s Prime
Minister accused Bush of pursuing wrong policies that endanger the
environment. The Bush visit drew thousands of demonstrators; more than 200
people were arrested."

-- CBS Evening News. From Gothenburg, Sweden,
John Roberts pointed out how "President Bush was an easy target for
protesters at the EU summit today, his defiant stance on the global
warming treaty the wedge issue of a building rift between the U.S. and
Europe."

Following a soundbite of Bush maintaining the
Kyoto Accord was not well balanced because it didn’t include developing
nations, Roberts asserted: "European leaders delivered a sharp
rebuke, proclaiming that they would move forward without America. The move
brought cheers from demonstrators who took to the streets by the thousands
today."
Phil Clapp, National Environmental Trust:
"The President is completely isolated, not only in Europe but around
the world. And the United States now looks like a rogue nation on the
environment."

After some more video of protesters, Roberts
concluded: "While President Bush saw none of today’s protests, he
is well aware of the emotions that his visit has stirred. Tomorrow he will
outline his vision for the future of U.S.-European relations at a speech
in Poland. It would appear from today’s events the relationship needs
work."

-- CNN’s Inside Politics. MRC analyst Brad
Wilmouth observed that Christiane Amanpour approached the topic from the
European perspective: "Europe is still smarting from his unilateral
withdrawal from the Kyoto climate control treaty, and discussions here did
nothing to bring the sides closer together. Indeed, Goran Persson, Swedish
Prime Minister, and President of the EU, says the two sides agree to
disagree."
Goran Persson: "The European Union is stick
to the Kyoto protocol and go for ratification process. The U.S. has chosen
another policy."
Amanpour: "President Bush reiterated his
promise of more money for more research....But most Europeans insist the
science is in and any delay amounts to fiddling while the planet
burns."
Lena Hjelm-Wallen, Swedish Deputy Prime Minister:
"We can’t start from scratch again. Then, we would lose up to ten
years, and it is a question of survival."
Amanpour: "The President not only has to
defend controversial policies but also his intellect. ‘Is he smart or
stupid?’ asks Sweden’s biggest newspaper. ‘You do what I say!’
screams another one, worried about his intentions."

Later, on CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Reports, John
King told Blitzer from Sweden: "A very blunt, remarkable open
disagreement on the issue of global warming. The European Union has issued
a very sharp statement critical of the Bush administration, saying Mr.
Bush should reverse himself and sign on to the Kyoto treaty on global
climate change, the President saying no, he’s not about to do that, that
the treaty is flawed..."

-- NBC Nightly News. From Gothenburg, David
Gregory focused on anger at Bush over global warming, as transcribed by
MRC analyst Brad Wilmouth:
"A hostile reaction to President Bush in
Sweden. Hundreds of arrests as environmental protesters clash with police.
Outside Bush’s hotel here in Gothenberg, a crowd makes a crude gesture
of disrespect [mooning]. And tonight the protests against President Bush
continue. These thousands of marchers who accuse him of failing to protect
the planet from global warming now in a standoff with riot police. The
trouble in the streets just an exaggerated snapshot of the deep division
between Bush and his European Union counterparts. The President telling
them in person today he will not support the Kyoto accord on global
warming. Negotiated in 1997, the treaty, which has not yet been ratified
anywhere in Europe, requires countries like the United States that are
large polluters to reduce their emissions of so-called greenhouse gases.
Such emissions come from cars and coal-fired power plants, and in time,
scientists believe, could drastically warm the climate, causing everything
from more severe weather globally to drought and food shortages in the
American heartland."
Philip E. Clapp, National Environmental Trust:
"Without a binding international agreement of which the United States
is a part, we will never stop global warming."
Gregory: "But Bush told European leaders
today in its current form, Kyoto is dead, primarily because he believes
mandated rather than voluntary emission reductions will hurt business and
hurt the U.S. economy."
Bush: "The goals were not realistic. However
that doesn’t mean we cannot continue to work together and will work
together."
Gregory: "But while Bush tried to paper over
his differences with European leaders, off-stage they let their irritation
with the President show."
Goran Persson, Swedish Prime Minister: "I
think it will have a tremendous impact, sorry to say, because I think it
would have been extremely strong signal if U.S. had sticked to the Kyoto
protocol."
Gregory: "Tonight an agreement is not in
sight, and these protests a reminder of how the environment could
undermine the President not just at home but abroad."

An undermining at home abetted by a lack of
focus on the hypocrisy of his critics from the left abroad.

President
Bush "gives his critics fodder" to prove he’s unintelligent,
CNN’s John King contended in pointing out how Bush called Africa a
"nation."

In a piece on Thursday’s Inside Politics,
King asserted: "One goal of this trip is an image make-over. White
House aides don’t like it, for example, when other leaders are asked if
the President is uninterested or unintelligent."

After a clip of British Prime Minister Tony
Blair denying Bush is unintelligent, King countered: "Mr. Bush
occasionally gives his critics fodder." CNN viewers then saw a clip
of Bush at the EU press conference: "We spend a lot of time talking
about Africa as we should. Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible
disease."
King helpfully pointed out for any CNN viewer as
unintelligent as Bush: "For the record, Africa is a continent."

Some
refreshing criticism from the right of a Bush policy decision. Both CBS
and NBC stressed how Bush chose pleasing Hispanics over national security
in deciding to end U.S. Navy training on the island of Vieques in Puerto
Rico in 2003 whether or not a replacement location can be found.

Dan Rather led the Wednesday, June 13 CBS
Evening News, as taken down by MRC analyst Brian Boyd: "CBS News
tonight is breaking an exclusive story. The story of a political decision
by President Bush that is disappointing and infuriating many in the U. S.
military, many of whom openly and actively backed Mr. Bush for election.
Our story breaker, national security correspondent David Martin reports
that Mr. Bush's political decision will end U.S. Navy combat training in
the Caribbean."

Reporter David Martin concluded his subsequent
piece: "The decision was made today at a White House meeting chaired
by political director Karl Rove and attended by the Secretary of the Navy
and the Deputy Secretary of Defense. A senior Pentagon official told CBS
News the order to cease training by 2003 comes at the direction of the
White House in an effort to end a political controversy that was
alienating Hispanic voters. The Bush administration came into office
vowing to rebuild the armed forces, but military officers are now accusing
the White House of selling out combat readiness for political
reasons."

The next night, June 14, Martin highlighted
military disappointment in Bush: "It’s not the first time politics
a has trumped military readiness, but in this case politics also trumped
President Bush’s vow to re-build the armed forces. The senior admirals
feel they’ve been sold out."

Over on Thursday’s NBC Nightly News, Jim
Miklaszewski asserted: "Tonight, senior military officials here at
the Pentagon say they’re incensed at the White House decision to end
Navy training on Vieques, calling it strictly a political move that could
well hurt military readiness."

ABC’s World News Tonight didn’t mention
the decision either Wednesday or Thursday night, but on Thursday’s Good
Morning America, MRC analyst Jessica Anderson observed, news reader Claire
Shipman offered criticism from the left for how Bush had not gone far
enough. During the 7am news update she announced:
"Well, the Navy will soon be looking for a
new bombing range close to home. The White House announced this morning
that it plans to end the Navy's practice bombing on the Puerto Rican
island of Vieques, but not before 2003. Critics want the exercises ended
immediately."

But at 8am she gave both sides: "The
White House says there will be an end to the Navy's bombing exercises on
Puerto Rico's Vieques island, but not until 2003. Anti-bombing activists
want the Navy to end its training there immediately. The Navy says the
Vieques range, which it has used for six decades, is essential to national
security."

In
deciding to produce a full story Thursday night on a Senate amendment to
the education bill to deny federal funds to any schools which refuses to
provide activity space to the Boy Scouts over their policy to not allow
gay members, ABC anchor Charles Gibson portrayed the Scouts as the ones
with the intolerance as he referred to "the Boy Scouts’ refusal to
accept gay members."

He could just as easily have referred to the
"refusal" of public schools to "accept" the Boy
Scouts. After all, the Scout policy has remained consistent while it is
some school boards which have decided to change their policy on letting
the group use their facilities. In her story, ABC’s Linda Douglass ran
soundbites from four Senators, including two liberal Democrats, but she
only applied an ideological label to one, tagging Jesse Helms as
"conservative."

On World News Tonight Gibson noted how the
education bill had passed in the Senate, "but there is also a notable
amendment in this bill, an amendment that has brought back the fierce
debate over the Boy Scouts’ refusal to accept gay members."

Douglass announced: "Leading the fight
was conservative North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms with an amendment that
would cut off federal funds to any school that refuses to let the Boy
Scouts use school facilities because of their anti-gay policy."

Following soundbites from Helms and Republican
Senator Bob Smith, Douglass avoided labels in leading into clips from
Democratic Senators Barbara Boxer and Joe Biden: "Democrats insisted
that in most states schools cannot legally deny access to the Scouts. They
suggested the Helms amendment is simply an attack on gays."
Barbara Boxer: "This amendment is
unnecessary, gratuitous. It’s hurtful to a group of people."